Sorrow
by TheDragonSon
Summary: Taken from her home and experimented on, a young girl escapes and finds her way into the heart and home of a greasy-haired youth who needs a friend.
1. Prologue

**_In the West..._**

A child, about six or seven years old, quite small, lay in an overly large bed. Here was one of the rare kind of disgusting brat that actually slept through the night. Perfect for the cause. I crept through the window, tranquilized the oblivious human-spawn just in case, then grabbed the little worm and ran for the car.

**_A few hours later..._**

I was returning home from dropping off the pathetic excuse for a human and collecting payment, and I heard something that scared me. Not one set of footsteps, not two, but five. So much for avoiding being seen. I dove into some overgrown bushes and tried to hide.

"We know yer there ya kid-snatchin scum, come out so we can do this easy like."

What? They know! Damn muggles and their cameras.

"All ya need to do is tell us where the kid is and we might not kill ya."

No thanks. I was about to retire anyways. In a swift and nearly silent movement, I ripped open a pouch on my shoulder with my teeth, releasing a cloud of potion-based gas. I never asked what it was, but it quickly spread, then burst into a massive fireball, and all I saw was flame before my vision went dark and I knew no more.

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I woke up, and I felt really bad. Why did my head hurt?

"Good. You are awake," a voice oozed from above where I was laying on the floor. "You have been a naughty child."

"Where am I, what did I do wrong?" I asked the darkness. Why couldn't I see?

"You are broken," the voice spoke once more. "I will fix you. Speak no more."

I suddenly found myself able to see again, but unable to make any sound. I was on a round platform with a hole in the middle, where a large swimming pool was filled with a shimmering, glowing, thick fluid that was somehow light and dark at the same time. Everything in the room but the fluid was blank white, and I couldnt turn to see the face of the voice behind me.

So quickly I didnt expect it, my tiny seven year old self was slammed face down to the floor, and something sharp was slammed into my neck. All I could feel was pressure of a fluid being pushed into me, and I was burning, burning, burning from the inside out, a tearing sound coming from my back, then everything stopped. However many minutes of sensory deprivation later, a deep feeling of emptiness and a freezing chill came over me, and I blacked out.


	2. Changed

Ten years I had been living in this compound, and it wasn't bad. I was well taken care of, and I had begun to like it here. I had a nice living space with everything I needed, I was happy and in good health. Everything was as normal as it could get. I spent much of my time reading and writing books and music for myself, and at my workbench repairing and building things.

I woke up and after a few minutes, saw that I wasn't in my rooms. I looked around and started to worry. What were they going to do to me? I just wanted to go to my room, to my books, and finish tuning my piano. My trail of thought was broken when someone opened the door.

It was a tall man in a lab coat, his face tanned, with thin eyebrows. I saw he was pushing a cart with some boxes and tiny doctor tools on it. He came towards me, and pressed a button on the wall. Bands around my neck and limbs, that I hadn't yet noticed were on me, stuck to the table I was on and held on like glue, preventing any significant movement. I began to panic, I was trapped!

"Don't worry little girly, this won't hurt one bit, for me." I did not like his sense of humor, and his comment scared me. I began sobbing, tears forming in my eyes and starting to fall down my face.

Mr. Labcoat opened a box, took out a syringe that definitely should not have fit in the box, and licked it. After a moment of deep thought, and stroking his bare chin, the weirdo opened another case, pulled out a vial of deep purple fluid, and filled the syringe with it. Wasting no time, the syringe was then put into my arm, and the liquid went into me. My mouth open in a silent scream of agony, my body stiff, I barely noticed when the labcoat man called a guard to carry me into my living space and shut the door.

The pain stopped, and it was over, and I sighed in relief, relaxing my sore muscles. I heard a sharp tearing noise, and a pair of massive wings, batlike but not quite right for a bat, exploded out of my back covered in blood. A very long and flexible reptilian tail came not long after. Some more changes that forced themselves into existence as I lay sobbing were my hands and feet changing into talons, a few of my teeth itching, and my eyes burning for a few seconds before my eyesight became vastly improved.

I eventually stopped crying, stood up, walked into the shower of my living space, and cleaned myself, being extra gentle cleaning my wings. Turning off the water and drying myself, I walked to a large mirror and studied my body. The biggest changes were the wings and tail of a dragon, those were obvious, but I was now noticing some smaller details.

I had four fangs, two on my lower jaw, and two on my upper jaw that rested on my lower lip when my mouth was closed. My hands and feet had become talons, maybe those were like a dragon also? I had deep black scales completely covering my wings and tail, and blending into my skin where they met the human parts of me, and the scales on my talons covered my forearms and stopped right below my elbows.

Thinking about my wings, I spotted the bottle of moisturizing oil on the bedside table, and I saw a note stuck to it.

"Rub this into your scales, it helps the scales to not flake or crack." the note read.

Grabbing the bottle and a soft cloth, and sitting down in front of the mirror, I began to use the cloth to rub the oil into my scales. When I got to my wings and tail, I was surprised. My tail was able to wrap around my legs several times, and my wings spanned nearly ten feet! My tail was easy to rub oil into, and it was flexible enough to wrap around things, so I used my tail to oil my wings while they were stretched out, which was when I noticed that the sensitive undersides of my wings had scattered purple scales, like little stars, the same color as my violet eyes.

_Hopefully I find a mate who__ likes purple._ Where had that thought come from? I justified that I must have been sleepy, so I curled up in my bed and dreamt of onyx eyes and giant wings, holding me safe and tight.


	3. Lessons

The next morning was interesting, to say the least, and I discovered a few more things about myself. After my morning rituals, I felt ravenous, like I could eat the kitchen table and part of a chair. When I was taking some vitamin pills that appeared with my food, some of the water drank with them went into my lungs, causing a small coughing fit. After a few seconds, my chest tightened in an odd way, and a small flame escaped my lips and disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

Trying to replicate this flame failed the first few times, but eventually I learned how to use the new muscle that controlled my flame. Twitching that muscle while exhaling started a flame, and tightening the muscle makes the flame reach further. After making some toast that was tasty, if a little on the crispy side, my attention turned back to my meal.

The food I was given regularly included some protein, but the portions of meats were larger, and I found I had somewhat increased urges to eat those foods. After the meal that left me energized and satisfied, I stood and went about my normal activities.

The first room I went to was my activity room, and I finished tuning my piano. It had become slightly out of tune over the years, and sounded not quite like it used to. I had to request a tuner from my caretakers before I started, and it had appeared in the activity room the next day, and the tuning wrench was simple enough to make.

After my piano tuning and practice, I waited in the main greeting room in a chair for my head caretaker, Claire, to arrive for my lessons. Claire taught me all the academic things like world history, maths, and English, and her assistant, Brenda, taught me all of my skills, like music, toolcrafting, potions, and mechanics. Today I will have both of them, and my lessons are nearing an end. I know nearly everything there is to know about my fields, and I especially liked potions and mechanics because there were rules for both of them, and if you didnt follow the rules, things could end badly.

After a few minutes, Claire and Brenda arrived. We made small talk, and Claire taught me in all of my areas of study, and I did well. She went into my kitchen to make lunch, while Brenda and I went into my workshop.

While my other rooms could change at a moments notice, my workshop had to be exactly just so, and everything was where it needed to be. It was a very large and open space, with good ventilation and a high ceiling. Everything had its purpose and function, and the layout was efficient. Here was were I spent most of my time. Near one work table covered in tools, nearly finished, was my car. It was a 1987 Honda Civic wagon in pearl white paint, but this one was special. This was one of the harder to find cars, with the four wheel drive. It was my main project, my baby, and it was built from the ground up with my own hands, I even had to make some of the parts myself. The only thing needed now was tires.

Todays lesson with Brenda was how to mount tires, and it was simple, it just isnt immediately obvious how to seal the tire. After the first few tries, and realizing I could retract my claws to not damage the tires, I finally got it. My wagon had tires, and it was ready to roll, when I was finally let out onto a road.

"Brenda, I've finished the tires," I called out. "Want to see them?" Brenda was surprised how quickly I had them done, amd I got a pat on the back for my work. We started talking about the car, and somehow we ended up discussing my new changes. Brenda reassured my that there was nothing to worry about, and she gave me a pocket sized book on dragons.

Brenda and I came out after washing up to have lunch with Claire, some large sandwiches. It was then that I asked a question that had been on my mind.

"When can I leave? I want to drive my car, outside, not just doing donuts in the shop, and I want to fly outside. I want to see the world as it is, the good and the bad.

Claire began to explain. "In a few days you will enter the Stagea. It has five parts, called Stages. Each stage tests a different part of your skill and abilities, and each part you pass will make that ability stronger. As an example, if a Stage tests speed, then when you pass, you will become faster. It is when you succeed in the entirety of the Stagea, that you will be free to leave."

"Sounds terrifying." I remarked with no small amount of worry. "I'll start preparing tomorrow."

After that discussion, my caretakers left, and I sang and played music, put the finishing touches on the interior of my car, made myself some dinner, and oiled my scales before going to bed early.


	4. First Stage of Mind

For the next couple of days, I rarely had time to sit around. Constant training took up most of my time, and my entire body was sore when I went to sleep. I constantly practiced all I knew, and at the end of every day I was with my car in the underground track, doing every kind of driving I could think of. Three days of constant work and improvement, and I was confident.

I was ready for the Stagea.

As soon as I explained to my caretakers that I was ready, they both had odd looks on their faces. They asked if they could come with me when I left, and go with me, and I of course agreed that they could come with me, realizing that maybe my caretakers were tired of this place, like I was. During lunch, I received a letter. It was in a blank envelope, and only was a short message, a map going to a place called the Barely There Room, and a small bronze disk engraved with a silhouette image of me, with my wings spread.

_At 1600 hours, you will go to the Barely There Room. You will bring whatever belongings will fit in your transport, and your caretakers if they request it. Do not be late._

After loading my few most prized creations, and all my tools into a crate that was placed in my wagon, along with food and supplies to set up a nice camp, and first aid, I dropped the envelope in my glove box, Claire, Brenda and I buckled into the car and drove towards a section of the wall of my workshop marked on the map. I was thinking of how to get through the wall when I picked up the metal disk to see if it would give me any clues. As soon as my claws had gripped the bronze, it became warm, and the wall section became a garage door. I waved the disk like a magic wand, and to my surprise, the garage door opened, allowing access to a wide but dark corridor. We were all curious, but cautious, and I flicked on the high intensity lights that cut through the dark and illuminated the corner ahead.

"Here we go, I guess."

I put the car in gear and we were off, flying around the corners, speedometer climbing, pushed to the limit, as we didnt know how long the tunnel was. About an hour later of driving through the pitch black, becoming anxious as the clock ticked ever closer to 1600 hours, then suddenly, we were in a bright white room, with shapeless masses of solid color floating through the air, disappearing only to reappear halfway across the room. The cieling was insanely high, and the walls werent a solid shape, shifting, getting closer and then farther away, angular and straight then becoming organic and curvy, like it was alive, never solid. The only stable things in the room were us in the car, and a small chair with a small and pale elderly man sitting in it, holding a bronze object similar to mine, but instead of a disk, it was a small drinking cup. Everytime he sipped from it, the room became more active for a few seconds, then calmed down. The liquid inside never seemed to end, and he calmly observed as I parked my car, got out, and approached him.

I noticed that his bronze object was engraved with something similar to mine, but with tentacles attached to his back instead of wings and a tail.

"Is there something you have come here for, child? The Stagea perhaps?" It was then that I realized with a start that I had been staring at him, and I quickly composed myself before speaking.

"I am trying to complete the Stagea, yes, and I received a letter today that told me to go here, is this the Barely There Room? How do I start the first Stage?"

"Yes, this is that room, and I was like you, but I have ascended, I am not a man, I am not a creature, I am the first Stage, the Stage of Mind. It has been too long, enough talk, time for the fun part."

Seeing the expression of his face as he put his cup on a small table and stood, I felt a crushing fear, but I was distracted from my fear when I heard something whistle through the air towards my hand where it hung at my side. Instinctively my hand caught it and held it, and realizing it was the disk, I gave a small wave and a nervous smile to Brenda, who had thrown it out the open driver side window.

The old man had started radiating with power, and massive tentacles burst from his back like the engraving on the cup, only they were not tentacles of light, but of flesh. The room, much like its occupant, became agitated, and the floating shapes descended to the floor, and became representations of people I had seen in my dreams, the parents I would never meet again, the woman who abducted me, the woman who put a syringe at my neck, even Claire and Brenda, each one connected to a tentacle like a puppet, rushed me to attack and I took action before I could break down and go insane.

I rushed the old man, which surprised him, and just that made a few of the illusions wobble around the edges a bit. Each one I saw, I cut its tentacle by slashing it with my disk like a blade, and I at one point even threw it, and it came back like a boomerang. It took hours, but with each apparition I cut that disappeared, the old man seemed less powerful, and I could feel something in my mind changing, becoming sturdier, more resilient. I will forever remember the man's face when he saw he had no more illusions, but I will remember the feelimg of his own attack even more.

It was not an attack of the body like his illusions, but an attack of the mind. He was ruthless, a vast and ancient presence slamming into my mind, and I could _feel_ him, which sent shivers down my spine. I used all my effort to push him out, and I eventually pushed him out, like how too much pressure bursts a baloon. The sheer force of my mental retaliation nearly knocked him out, and with a weak voice, I heard him say desperately, "I submit! You have passed the Stage of Mind, leave me in peace, strong one. Just remember, never forget what anchors you to your sanity, and never forget those who made you who you are."

It was after these words, that he disappeared, the room stabilized and turned into the inside of an empty warehouse, with no entrances or exits, just the car, unchanged from when we arrived, and a note on the floor. I picked up the note, got in the car with a bewildered Claire and Brenda, and we read the note to see what it said.

_You seem to have passed the first Stage. Good for you. Use the bronze disk to transport yourself to the coordinates written on the backside, and there will be a hotel room waiting for you__, show the disk to get in._

Seeing the coordinates, I touched the disk to where they were written, read the coordinates aloud as suggested by Claire, there was an abrupt movement and a flash of light, and we were parked in front of an empty lot. I started the car, and drove into the lot, confused as to why the lot was empty, but as soon as the car was fully into the lot, it became very much _not_ empty and a posh hotel was suddenly somehow sitting there in front of us. I parked the car again, and we entered the hotel.

The front desk attendant asked to see my token, and I held out my disk. The attendant gave us the keycard to our room, and there we found not a hotel room, not a suite, and not an apartment, but my living spaces, exactly as I had left them. I let Claire and Brenda use the guest rooms, while I went to my bedroom. I don't know about the others, but I was out like a light as soon as my head hit the pillow.


	5. Second Stage of Kindness

I was terrified, a mass of sludge was following my car in a wave, slowly getting closer no matter what I did to escape it.

"Hey Brenda, Claire, we need to keep ahead of the wave, any ideas?"

A choking and gurgling noise was my only response. I looked back and nearly lost control of the car. Both my caretakers were pale and unmoving, with blood dripping from their open mouths.

The wave was almost touching the bumper of the car and the road became rough and bumpy, when I heard Brenda speak, sounding almost frantic with worry, but how could she be speaking if she was dead?

"Wake up, Five, you are dreaming, come back to us!" Wasn't I called Five? Yes, that was my number! I was having a nightmare, how could I wake up?

"Ill wake up soon, I have an idea! I'm being chased by a wave of slime, if I let it touch me then I might wake up!" I didn't even wait for a response before I pulled the handbrake, which swung the car around, and driving backwards, I slowed down and stuck my hand out the sunroof as the slime washed over the car. The very moment it touched me, my senses went away for a few seconds until my eyes opened to see Brenda leaning over me. I started crying, and sat up, and leaned against Brenda, taking comfort from those strong but soft arms.

"You guys were dead, and I thought I was going to die, the slime would engulf us, I couldn't escape! I was so scared, Brenda, I thought I had lost you."

"Shhhhh, you are okay, I am fine, Claire has gone to get breakfast downstairs, when you are settled then we will join her. I know you had a nightmare, and for a few seconds you werent breathing, but we are all here, the car is outside, everything is okay."

After another minute or two I managed to calm down enough to go downstairs to the breakfast area, where Claire was waiting with some waffles and syrup. I nearly broke down again when I saw Claire, but we had a hug as I reassured myself she was still okay, and I ate some waffles while Brenda explained my current state.

"She had a nightmare, it was pretty disturbing." Brenda explained. "We were all in the car, there was a wave of slime chasing her, and we were both dead."

"Oh you poor dear, that sounds awful, have some more waffles." Brenda encouraged me to eat, which was a good thing as I would sometimes forget to eat enough. I would never admit it, but I always liked being mothered and taken care of, it made me feel all warm and happy inside. I ate my waffles, and pushed away the thoughts of my dream, but one thing came back and bothered me throughout the meal.

"Hey Brenda, Claire, I've never wanted to ask before, but why am I called Five? What happened to One through Four?" It was Claire who gave me an answer to my question.

"You are called Five because you are the fifth of multiple experiments of creating a human modified with the abilities of another creature. No-one knows exactly how many experiments there will be, but after each one completes the Stagea, they are set free and make lives for themselves out in the world. Experiment One is the headmaster of a school in Scotland, Two was the old man in the Stage of Mind, Three works as a Potions master, and Four is a firefighter. The four before you have passed the Stagea, although Two felt it was his calling to be a part of it, and came back near the end of his life, he hasn't aged since thay day."

"Do you know if any of them are dragons like me? I'm a bit curious." This was the question I was a little afraid to have answered.

"I think Three was a dragon, I remember hearing about him. Maybe you'll meet him someday." Brenda commented.

"I hope I do, that would be the coolest thing!" I was so happy, I wasnt the only dragon! It was good to know that there was another I could ask for advice or help.

We all cleaned up our table to be considerate and not leave a mess. After that was done, the three of us took an elevator back up to the door that somehow led to my rooms, and saw a letter on the kitchen table.

_It is a new day, it affects nothing if you slept well or not, just be at the Golden Gate Bridge by 0900 hours._ _Play the disk to get there on time._

We packed up and got in the car, and I realized something crucial as I started the car. We were in Indiana, how were we going to get to California in an hour?

"Maybe the disk will do something cool when we play it? I don't even know anymore." I thought aloud.

I put the bronze disk in the stereo, exspectimg meaningless noises at best, so I was startled when eurobeat started blasting from the speakers. I wasn't sure how this would help, but I put the car in gear and drove away, towards California.

"That disk is pretty crazy, its only been half an hour and I can see the bridge from here!" Brenda said with enthusiasm.

We arrived at the a road leading onto the bridge a few minutes later, and parked the car at a nearby gas station after refuelling. I made sure to grab the disk when I got out, and my caretakers sat in folding chairs in the shade of a tree.

I walked out onto the Bridge, which was deserted and should have been covered in road traffic, with my dragon aspects showing. When I was halfway across the bridge, I saw a small child, a bit older than a toddler trapped, their small legs stuck under a road divider that had fallen over. The child's tearful eyes widened when they saw my wings slightly spread and my long tail waving behind me.

"Do you need help, young one?" I asked the child softly, trying to appear tame and harmless, with my claws retracted.

"Yes, I need help. Will you help me strong dragon lady?" I had to control myself to not accidentally laugh and insult the child.

"I will help you, just hold my paw and wait a minute." I held my paw out for the child to hold, and as soon as they grabbed on, I lifted the barrier with my strong tail and flipped it over so the child's legs were free.

"Do your legs hurt at all?" I asked the child, and they nodded yes. "Do you want me to fix them?" Another nod yes. Still holding the child's hand, I followed some new instinct I felt, and exhaled a soft white vapor, that immediately erased the bruising and the scratches from the road divider.

"Hey strong nice dragon lady, can I touch your wings? Are they soft?" The question was too cute, I couldn't say no.

"Yes, you may touch my wings, but be gentle." I said softly as I extended a wing for the child to feel with light fingers.

"They're so soft and pretty, you got the right wings." I smiled at the child's comment, and they smiled back.

"Where are your mummy and daddy? Did you see where they went?" The child stood up and pointed to the other side of the bridge than the one I came from. "Do you want to get on my back and we can fly over there?" The child nodded, and climbed up on my back, hands around my neck, and I held on to their hands so they didn't fall. I lifted off carefully and flew slowly, and the child was laughing the entire slow flight to the end of the bridge.

As soon as we landed on the end, the child hopped off my back and ran to a man and a woman who were standing there, looking relieved to see their child. I explained how I found the child, and healed them, and that I was part dragon.

"You found our son, possibly saved his life, and made him happy. I can't possibly thank you enough." The father said to me.

"You are the most polite young woman I have met, and you are so kind and gentle. If you ever need a place to stay, or need some advice, feel free to visit." The mother said, handing me a card with their contact and address on it.

The family of three waved goodbye, and they got into a small car, and drove away. I was flying back to the center of the bridge, and saw a letter on the ground at my feet. I picked it up, and flew back to the car. After relating the tale of what happened on the bridge, I showed my caretakers the card before putting it and the disc in the glovebox, before we read the letter.

_So you have passed the Second Stage, the Stage of Kindness. The reward of this stage will build over the next few days, and once your ability has settled, you will be able to focus and read the basic emotions of a person you are close to or someone who wants you to know how they feel. The third stage is tomorrow, you have the rest of the day to kill, have some fun._

We spent the rest of the day driving, enjoying the views of the landscape and various cities, before teleporting back to the hotel right as it staryed getting dark. With how much we did and the fun we had, sleep came easy that night.


	6. My Saviour

There was another letter, on the desk this time, in the room when I awoke. Claire and Brenda were up before me as usual, and they had brought waffles up to the room. I read the new letter out loud, wondering what the next task would be.

_For your next test, you will have to go a much greater distance than before. On the reverse side of this paper are the coordinates for a forest in England. Go there, and set up a camp. Your task will be there._

"Apparently whoever is sending us to these places is either well traveled or has a good map." I though out loud.

"That could be a good thing, at least you know enough languages to get around, wherever you end up." Brenda replied.

We got in the car, and I looked at the coordinates, and used the disk to teleport to the location, and looked around us. The edge of the forest was at the end of a row of houses, all in disrepair but with signs of people living in them. The air hung heavy with smoke, and everything was dirty, with all of the plants dying or dead, and there was no color, no life. Brenda shrunk the car using the disk, and we stowed it in a backpack we had brought with us. We walked to the end of the street, and entered the forest.

The moment we stepped off the pavement and into the forest, the difference was incredible. The air was clear, everything was beautiful, it was almost as if the trees at the forest boundary were a barrier, keeping the filth and darkness out and preserving the forest and its inhabitants. After finding a small clearing, and setting up camp, Brenda and Claire began cooking lunch while I explored more of the forest.

I had been running around and flying through the trees for about an hour, and I stopped to take a rest and sat on a tree branch, eating a mango that I spotted growing above my head. I was observing two birds dancing around each other above me, when something shiny in another tree caught my eye. I glided over to the tree and picked it up.

It was an amulet, on a cord that I recognized as dragon leather, which I definitely did not like holding, but I continued investigating the amulet. It looked like silver, with strange runes crudely carved into it, and it was badly tarnished. Realizing the amulet was stuck in the tree, I yanked it off the branch, snapping the cord, which I then pulled off the amulet and buried. I tied the amulet around my neck with some string, and took off in the direction of the campsite.

Before I made it ten feet from the tree, my entire body went stiff with pain, and I fell to the ground, vocalizing my distress as a loud shriek that scared away the birds. Something wasn't right. What was going on? Another wave of pain, and I began changing.

An itching feeling started in my bones and teeth as they rearranged and shrank, and I fell to all fours, now the size of a kitten, and my body proportions changed. The organs in my body rearranged, causing a feeling of nausea, which went away when I coughed out a large flame. The scales on my arms and wings grew to cover the rest of my body, and the change was complete.

I walked to a pool of water, only falling over once, and looked at my reflection. The silver amulet was missing, but that wasn't what concerned me. I was a small purple dragon with straight silver horns, perfect for cuddling, with my scales a deep purple color, and the scattered silver on my wings, same as before. I spent a long time admiring my form in different poses, until I looked up and realized that the sun was long gone, and the moon was in full presence.

I had always been scared of the dark, and at that moment, my heart and mind were overcome with fear. Even with my night vision, some strange magic of the forest darkened the moon and made seeing any distance near impossible, and a darkness pressed down on me so heavily that I didn't dare fly for fear I would fall. All logic and sense left me, and I ran on my paws, occasionally tripping over a tree root or stone.

As I ran, trying to find safety, I saw a light through the trees, and increased my speed towards it. I soon realized, this was the street at the edge of the forest! I could hide under a shed or something! I was almost out of the forest, when the darkness swallowed me up, and I curled into a little ball of dragon, shaking and crying out with my small voice. I was sure I was going to die, when I heard a voice, calling out into the darkness with immense power and endless authority.

*CEASE THIS NEEDLESS EVIL IN A SACRED FOREST! CONTINUING WILL SNUFF OUT SOULS LIKE CANDLES! BEGONE SPIRIT OF CHAOS, THIS I COMMAND!*

As soon as the voice stopped speaking, the darkness lifted, the moon shone bright, and the suffocating presence went away. I was saved! I opened my eyes, and looked up, and saw my saviour. He was very tall and thin, holding a wand in his pale hand, wearing a black cloak, worn but clean. I made a small cry in fear of such a tall person, me being the size of a kitten, and he spoke softly.

"Little one, be still, I will not hurt you. The power within me shall keep you safe."

His voice calmed me with its smooth and even tone, and I stretched out my body and relaxed. He lifted me up, wrapped me in his soft cloak, and carried me into one of the houses on the street, where he lay me down on a couch and removed the cloak.

He looked to be about my age before the change, and he had dark hair, and looked like he didn't eat much. His dark eyes seemed old and sad like they had seen and done awful things, but they were full of compassion. He crouched down and looked into my eyes, and ran his fingers down my head and back, stroking me gently. It felt nice.

"My name is Severus. This is my house. Would you like some food, little dragon?" He asked softly, watching my reaction to his voice. I nodded yes, and he walked towards what I assumed was the kitchen, and I lay my head down and waited.

An hour later, I saw a dragon, just like me, fly into the house! He was only six inches bigger than me in height and length, and he had the same scattered silver wing scales I did, but he was more muscular, and his horns were curved instead of straight like mine. Feeling the power of this onyx dragon, and realizing it was Severus, I was calm and watched as he set down the meat on a plate next to the couch on a very small table. I heard Severus speak, and understood what he was saying.

**"I brought you food, if you still want it. I am like you, an experiment. I am half dragon, and also have the ability to become a full dragon due to the amulet that recently changed you. We are still small because we are still fairly young, and we haven't found our Equals, or mates."**

I was calmly listening to Severus, eating the food he had brought me, but as soon as I heard him say the word "mate" my head snapped around and stared at him in surprise, my thoughts going a million miles an hour.

_I am going to find a mate? I hope it's someone I can stand being around, and not some random idiot off the street. It could be Severus, he is kind and intelligent, but is he really the one? I am feeling a pull towards him, and he is attractive, but I am nervous, I might offend him._

**"I think you are my mate, but I want to get to know you first, I'll be here for a while."** I told Severus, my voice showing how unsure I was of the whole situation.

**"That's okay, and I feel the same, lets wait a few days before we make any decisions."** We both laid down on the couch, on separate cushions, and went to sleep.


End file.
